Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-02-17
A: ROBBER FOOL.
Believed That No.Detective Gould
Overhaul Him.

/ was in the active employ of Pink
erton for many years, and l took my
full share of the risks incident to de-
tective work, but the very first case as
signed me had more peril in it than
any four others combined. 1 had done
some ''spotting" and Swallowing" and
had helped on two or three cases, when
/ was sent to Milwaukee to look after
an embezzler. The case was stated in
a nutshell. A Mrs. Pierce, widow of
wealth, and woman who trusted her
servants altogether too much, received
one day from the East by express a
package of money amounting to $14,-
900. She had been in the habit of
sending her butler to the bank to make
deposits for her, and now and then to
dSaw money on her written order. He
had been with her for several years as
sort of man of all work in the house,
and she had found him strictly honest.
She gave him the money 20 deposit
without fear of his being tempted.
He was not seen after he left the house.
He did hot go to the bank, and for
three or four days Mrs. Pierce and
others labored under the belief that he
had been robbed and murdered. The
hunt for his dead body was going on
when reached Milwaukee.
The name of the butler was John
Lane, and he was described to me as
sandy-hairod; red-faced man, weighing
one hundred and sixty pounds and
wearing a sandy moHstache. His hab-
its were declared to be above reproach,
and Mrs. Pierce Indignantly resented
my suggestion that he might have run
away. So did fhe local detective who
had the case in hand. held from the
first to the theory that he had run
away. He had been told to hurry back.
He could reach the bank in walk of
fifteen minutes, having only two or
three turns to make. 1t was at two
o'clock in the afternoon, and he could
be in no personal danger. No one could
be found WhO had seen him between
the house and the bank, although he
was well known. But the best clue
was found in Lanes room. There wits
handful of sandy hair in paper
under the lavatory. There was an
other paper spotted with lather, in
which were enough bristles to make a
AuOOStbSACs DOAAiAio OlNl ltullh WIS
bottle which had contained hair dive.
Mrs. Pierce received the money about
ten o'clock in the forenoon, and she
remarked to Lane that she would have
him deposit it after dinner. He waited
on the table at noon, and there was no
change in his appearance. but between
that time and two he shaved off his
moustache, cut off a lot of his hair APP
piled the dye, and Mrs. Pierce remem-
bered that he was muffied up as he
wenE out, leaving by the side door.
Now came the hardest part of the work
When you know which way a criminal
is heading it is quite easy to keep his
trail, but when you can't say whether
he is in New York or Omaha, or that
he may not be hiding within two blocks
of you, it is quite different matter.
From the servants in the house learned
that Lane had always declared he hated
the very sight of cities and towns, and
he had no care for fine clothes and So
ciety. He also had great horror of
the water. This seemed to argue that
he would not head for Europe, as at
first feared. 1t was well known that
he had holy horror of the West, hay
ing read of savage Indians, prairie fires,
grizzly bears, rattleSnakeS, etc. That
seemed TO argue that he would not 90
West. Would he go North or Southp
was helped out of my dilemma in a
curious way. l had been at every
steamboat Office and railroad depot,
meeting with no success. and was stand
ing in front of the Second National
Bank when a farmer-looling man &C
-costed me with:
'.What do reg say about this bill?